The Fire Within
by smartgirl13579
Summary: When the leader of the Hephaestus cabin disappears, Jason, Piper, and Calypso set out to find him. But it's not as easy as they thought. And they never thought it was. My first fanfic, so please be nice! May contain spoilers for the HoO series. Castle references. *ON HIATUS*
1. Prologue

_Leo was having another nightmare._

_This wasn't unusual for demigods, the half-blood sons and daughters of the Greek gods, but his dreams of late seemed more gory, vivid, and just plain... scary. he was in the tool shop, in the center of the fire that had killed his mom. But this time, Jason, Piper, and all the people he knew and loved were trapped behind a wall of flame, wailing for help, crying and pleading with Leo. He tried to move, but only felt a slight tingle. he looked down to see his body was made of fire, and his dream exploded with heat and pain. Leo could only watch through his haze of agony as his friends were consumed by the blaze and disintegrated into ash. _

Leo sat bolt upright in his bed, sweating and shivering, his heart pounding… and on fire. Thankfully, the blankets on his bed and his pajamas were all made of the special fireproof cloth Calypso spun just for him. Leo carefully ran his hand along the metal of the technically upgraded bed. He couldn't help thinking of Charles Beckendorf, the former head counselor during the second Titan War, since this bed had belonged to him before he had died.

The metal was only warm, like slightly melted chocolate. Leo decided it would be fine and slipped out of the Hephaestus cabin, careful not to rouse his half brothers and sisters. He headed for the woods, to the one place he could think: Bunker 9, the giant workshop on the other side of a limestone wall on a cliff. The workroom would be abandoned, since only a touch of fire, Leo, would open it.

As he hiked through the greenery, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint light bobbing through the trees, twisting and weaving, coming toward him. Leo assumed it was another camper, out for a midnight stroll like he was. Nico di Angelo, or maybe Katie Gardener. He slowed, then turned and trudged toward the person, until the hooded figure was less than 8 feet away. The person sauntered up to Leo, then threw back the hood of his robe. Leo gasped, recognizing the human in front of him immediately. The last thing he remembered was a searing pain tearing through his skull before the world went black

**So! What do you think? Too descriptive, not enough, or just right? Review, please!**


	2. Realization

_CH. 1_

_Jason_

I woke to the sound of Piper's charmspeak. I could vaguely hear her yelling, "Wake up, sleepyhead! You're late for breakfast!" That sentence woke me up. I slapped my forehead. "Oh, man, Mr. D.'s gonna kill me!"

Piper watched me scramble around, the amusement evident on her face. As I rushed for the door, she caught me in a hug, kissing me on the cheek. "Good morning, Jason," she murmured, and we headed for the dining pavilion. As we approached the busy eatery, I could immediately tell one of the cabins was missing.

Calypso was dashing toward the forges. She was pretty easy to pick out in the crowd, being the only one wearing white. As she disappeared inside, Piper turned to me, worry written all over her face. Then Percy flipped off the roof. What was he doing up there? He approached us, his sea green eyes stormy with worry. When he was on talking range, I opened my mouth, about to say," What were you doing up there?" but the question died in my throat when I saw his distress. "Have you guys seen the Hephaestus cabin? We have no idea where they went."

At that moment, some of them scrambled out of the woods and ran up to Percy. "Oh, there you are," he said, the relief in his voice mostly hidden, but I could still hear it. A girl in the back of the group, Nyssa, shouldered her way up front. I started walking toward the woods to see if something was wrong. But Nyssa's next words froze me in my tracks. "Leo's gone."

_Piper_

My automatic response to Nyssa's announcement was, "Oh, it's Leo. I bet he's playing a practical joke." But her tired, concerned face suggested otherwise. Jason just stood there, like he had suddenly been frozen in place. "Come on, Jason, you don't really believe that, do you? I mean, it's Leo we're talking about. He's probably either in Bunker 9 or flying Festus." Jason shook his head. "No, Festus is playing with Peleus."

I turned to Nyssa, and she replied, "The Hephaestus cabin searched Bunker 9, and he's not there either. Chiron has the whole camp searching, but nothing so far." I still didn't believe it, but Jason looked troubled. "Do you think he left on his own?" he asked quietly. "Nuh uh, he's probably not even outside camp," I protested, but Nyssa glared at me. "Stop saying Leo's not missing, because he clearly is!" she hissed angrily.

Jason turned and ran into the woods, an anguished look on his face. "He died once and only barely came back. You remember how awful he looked when he got back with Calypso? I don't want to find out that this time he's really dead." I nodded, caught up in my own thoughts. Then I realized something. "Hey, I bet he's with Calypso! If they're not in camp, they could be in the city."

I turned and whistled for Laurie, my pegasus. Before Nyssa could protest, a sleek white winged horse with a rainbow sheen was at my side. "I'll check the city. You guys look around the camp." Jason tugged on my arm. "But Piper, Calypso's here in-" But I was already spiraling toward the sun, and Jason's voice was lost in the wind. "I'll see you in a few hours, along with Leo!" I called down to them, then turned back toward New York City.

I didn't see why they were so upset. When Leo was gone, it was never a big deal, because he was always back within a few hours. But a tiny voice in the back of my head whispered, _You won't find him._ I blocked it out and urged Laurie toward the city.


	3. Searching

_CH. 2_

_Calypso_

I couldn't believe it. I just couldn't. I tore from cabin to cabin, door to door, searching for Leo, refusing to cope with the idea that I had lost him again. At least he had come back for me before. Now, I was afraid I would never see him again, and I had only been at Camp Half-Blood for three weeks. So what if he was a little annoying? I still loved him.

Despair threatened to overtake me, but I blinked back my tears and headed for the stables. If I had to search the entire earth to find him, despite the trouble it would take, I would find him. I would go to the end of the Underworld and back if I had to. I was determined to get him back.

_Buford_

I sit in the workshop, wait for Leo. He does not come. I open the door and go to Camp Half-Blood to look for him, and to see Calypso. She may know where he is. And she is pretty. Leo loves Calypso, Calypso loves Leo. She says, _I do not know where he is. I cannot find him._ She looks sad.

I go to the home cabin, number nine. Not there. I search the big house. Not there. I look at the lake. Not there. I look at the stables. Not there. Chiron says, _Leo is not on a quest, he is missing. _Is he hiding? Is he playing a joke? Where is he? Percy says, _We do not know where he is._

I am proud of Leo. He hides so no one can find him. Then Annabeth says, _He has been taken,_ and I know why we cannot find him. Leo did not want to be taken, but someone took him away and did not tell us. Now I understand. He is stolen, by someone who does not like him. They will use him. I understand why Calypso is sad and scared. I am too.

_Festus_

_Peleus!_ I creak in protest as he swings his tail at my head. It connects with a _clang!_ and I stagger back. I return the fight and breath fire on his head. We tussle playfully and I get pinned down by the smaller dragon. How did that happen? I squeak with laughter, and Peleus does too, tendrils of smoke curling out of his nostrils.

We have just calmed down when Jason, Percy, and Annabeth come dashing up the hill, without Leo, which is unusual. Then I realize I have not seen Leo at all today, which is very strange. He always comes to check on me by this time, to make sure that I am operable and clean.

I sit as they approach me. Jason, all out of breath, asks me if I have seen Leo. I shake my head and creak _no _in response._ This isn't good_ mutters Annabeth, and Percy shakes his head. I whir in confusion, and Percy says _Leo has been kidnapped._ My gears just about pop out of place, and I unfurl my wings. _Festus, wait!_ cries Annabeth. _We'll come with you, but we have to ask Chiron!_

I squeak with forlorn then grunt for them to hurry. Even though they can't understand me, they rush off as fast as they can. I begin pacing, rumbling back and forth until they get back, with Clarisse and Calypso, and climb onto my back. The other two climb onto Peleus and we take flight, heading for Manhattan. Peleus goes to Brooklyn. We are determined to find Leo.

_Clarisse_

Not that I was going to admit it to anyone, except maybe Chris, but I considered myself a friend of Leo Valdez. So when he went missing, of course I was going to help look for him. After we got on Peleus, Calypso and I headed for Brooklyn and Queens.

If mortals weren't so gullible, the city would be in chaos once they saw the giant dragon flying over them. 12 years, and I still can't get over how stupid they are. We didn't see anything suspicious, just police at work, and Calypso pointed out an adult demigod wearing a police uniform who if anything would either belong in the Ares cabin or the Hades cabin.

We met back up by the Empire State Building, and Festus' riders hadn't seen anything either. We were discussing what to do next (I wanted to pound everyone in camp and see if they knew anything) when I noticed someone else approaching us on a white pegasus. Annabeth and Jason were arguing about mortals, and Percy looked bored. I turned my attention back to the rider. As they got closer, I saw it was Piper. Dang it. Since her boyfriend was here, I couldn't pulverize her. I didn't really want to, though. She reminded me too much of Silena.

Percy apparently noticed her, too, because he perked up and called, "Piper! Did you find anything?" Annabeth and Jason had been glaring at each other, but now they looked at Piper, eager for news. "I think I might have gotten us a lead."

Piper explained to us where we were going on the way there. "I found an adult demigod who works for the NYPD. I talked to him on his lunch break and he said he saw something strange last night. He should still be on his break."

We arrived at a pizza place on 59th and slipped inside, trying to look like normal pedestrians, which was pretty easy, considering the low intelligence level of the mortals. "There," whispered Piper, pointing to the back corner of the restaurant. A dark-skinned man with close-cut jet black hair and eyes as dark as Tartarus sat in the corner table. I realized he was the police officer Calypso and I had seen earlier.

He was eating with a friend, a guy with dusty dark brown hair and blue eyes. "The demigod is the Hispanic," whispered Piper. "I talked to him earlier, but he wasn't with his friend." She seemed scared. I had no idea why. The guy was laughing with his friend, and then his phone rang. "Hey, Lanie. Yeah, I'll be back soon." He spotted us, and his eyes focused on Piper. "Actually, Ryan'll probably get back before me. I have something I gotta take care of first. Yeah, bye."

The dude's friend followed his gaze and mumbled something to the Hispanic. The guy muttered something back, then said, "I'll meet you back at the precinct." The white guy nodded and headed for the door, giving us a suspicious look as he passed by. We made our way to the back table, and the demigod winked at us. "Sorry about that. My friend's a mortal, and he can't see through the Mist. It's_ so_ frustrating." "I can relate to that," I grumbled. Annabeth gave me a look, and I gave her my dagger eyes back. "Have a seat," the Hispanic said. "You can call me Javier. Now let me tell you about your friend Leo."


	4. Information

_CH. 3_

Annabeth

We all leaned forward as Javier began to talk."I'm not going to tell you about myself. That will just waste time, and time is one thing I need to conserve. So let's say I was working on a case, and it required me to be in Central Park at around midnight. I was working by the streets when I saw the Gray Sisters' Taxi, and it was going unusually slow, only about 85, 90 miles an hour. I followed it as far as White Plains-don't ask how I did it-and they were still headed steadily north, but the Taxi only got up to about 130 miles an hour. Never faster than that."

"Wait, wait-that taxi only went more than 130 mph, minimum?" Jason asked. Percy shook his head. "Dude, 70 miles is, like, 280 for them." Javier nodded. "If that's too fast for you, don't ever try shadow traveling. You go so fast your face just about peels off." Jason looked queasy, like he had just gone on the world's third loopiest roller coaster. Serves him right for what he said about my dad earlier. Jason caught the look on my face and his expression changed from sick to annoyed. He sent me a silent message: I'll get you later. I rolled my eyes. What did I do?

Percy had been watching the little exchange with an amused look on his face, while Calypso was interrogating Javier for more information. Clarisse and Piper were at the front, watching the dragons and Piper's pegasus, Laurie, while ordering drinks. I thought about what Javier had said about the cab going north, and I had a feeling that the kidnapper, whoever it was, wasn't going north for the cold. Hold on. North…cold...that seemed familiar. And not a good familiar. Suddenly, a frightening thought raced through my mind. I glanced up at the front. Piper was apparently thinking the same thing. Her face was ghostly pale, her eyes wide. She said something to Clarisse and Clarisse nodded, taking the watch over the animals, who looked worried.

Piper made her way back to the table, muttering,"I hate to admit it, but I'm missing Leo calling me 'Beauty Queen.'" Percy turned to me, surprised, but Javier just laughed. "I'll have to tell one of my friends to call his wife Beauty Queen from now on." ''Guys, I think I know where Leo is. If he's not there, then he's at least on his way," Piper said. Everyone turned to her, waiting for her to spill the beans. She took a deep breath. "I think he's in Quebec."

Percy

As soon as Piper said Quebec Jason turned white. ''Not Quebec. Anywhere but Quebec.'' ''Why?'' I asked. ''What's in Quebec?'' Piper was pale too, and turned paler as she answered,''Khione, the snow goddess. On our first quest, we stopped in Quebec to talk to Boreas, god of the North Wind. Khione is his daughter. When Jason and I were talking to Boreas, Khione and Leo were left alone. She sensed fire within him and tried to kill us later. That's why Festus crashed and Leo had to send his head back. She was also the reason he met Calypso. Remember, she threw him off the Argo ll and he crash landed on Ogygia?''

Calypso flinched. ''Don't talk about that place.'' ''Right, sorry. Anyway, she tried to kill us about ten times while we were freeing Hera. He stopped her every time, and she resorted to begging. She tried to get him to come back to Quebec with her, but he laughed and mocked her. She promised revenge on him.'' Calypso winced and shook her head. ''So I owe my freedom to an evil, crazy goddess who worked worth Gaea?'' Piper replied,''Not a good way to put it, but technically, yes, you owe your freedom to an evil, crazy goddess, who probably kidnapped one of our best friends.'' Calypso groaned. ''So now I suppose we go to Quebec?''

Javier had been silent the whole time. Now he spoke up. ''Hey guys, I gotta go. Percy, come on up to the front with me. Escort me out.'' He winked at me and rose. We walked outside and Clarisse glared at us. Typical. Javier stroked Festus.''Nice dragon. Leo's work?'' I nodded. "Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you around sometime?" I nodded again, and he turned toward the wall, where some of the morning shadows still lingered. He swiveled back toward me. "Say hi to Nico for me." He walked straight toward the wall, into the shadows, and disappeared. I blinked. He knew shadow travel? And Nico? I shrugged it off and walked back inside, leaving Clarisse staring in disbelief at the spot on the wall where Javier had gone.

I headed to the back of the restaurant, where everyone was arguing. I sighed and turned to Annabeth. "Transportation," she answered immediately."The dragons are coming, obviously, but we need something to guard the camp. I won't name names, but some of them want to travel by chariot. Some want to go in the Gray Sister's Taxi, to get information, and the rest want pegasus." "We need to pick up Nico, too. And I say shadow travel," I said. "Ditto. It's faster and stealthier," she replied.

I saw the family at the next table over staring at us. I guess we looked pretty strange: a group of teens ages 15-17, arguing about things the mortals were sure were myths, and I think I'd be pretty freaked out if I were a mortal and saw a miniature thunderstorm hovering above the kids. I was getting agitated, and a mini hurricane started swirling around us. The mortals in the restaurant were probably flipping out. I sighed and turned back to the table. How could we rescue Leo if we couldn't even decide how to get to him?


	5. Travel

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while… Being sick takes its tolls. Also, I've been super busy. I won't bore you to death with the details. Then I won't have anyone to read my fics!:) Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy!**

_Ch. 4_

Calypso

I was extremely tempted to bang on the table and yell at the rest of the group, but I couldn't or the other people here would probably be pretty ticked. Still, I had to figure out how to get the mini storm and hurricane to stop, or pandemonium would break out.

I turned to Piper, who was on the Gray Sisters' Taxi side along with Jason. I whispered my plan in her ear once I got her to stop yelling at Annabeth. She nodded and began to sing: _Sleep, my child, and peace be with thee, all through the night… _Everyone stopped and stared at her, but the effect of her charmspeak was too powerful, and soon everyone was asleep. Only the demigods were awake, but sleepy, as I explained that we would be taking the Danger Express, otherwise known as the Gray Sisters' Taxi.

Clarisse, who was the only one who didn't seem affected by the singing, looked conflicted. She was obviously trying to decide whether to argue or agree. I could hear her mumbling,"But if we take the Taxi, I can threaten the sisters, but if we take a chariot, I can yell at the enemy, but if we…" Clarisse's eyes narrowed as I yawned and began to nod off, and she honked "WAKE UP!" right in my ear. Not only did she wake me up, everyone else at the table shot up in shock. "That's better," Clarisse said with satisfaction, and turned toward the front, heading to check on the dragons.

Peleus 

After Clarisse finishes her rant, she comes back outside. She gives Laurie a message to fetch Pork Pie and Blackjack but stay at cap herself. I watched them take off, and Clarisse calls out,"Remeber tell Chiron to get Nico ready! Shadow traveling will be helpful!" A group of mortals give her weird looks as they pass. I have no idea what the mortals think I am, so I try to shrink like Festus. The best I can do is press against the wall.

I envy Festus. He gets all the cool things programmed into him. I'm a flesh-and-blood dragon, but my dream is to be a mechanical one. Impossible, I know, but the gods might grant my wish if I could get it through. Right now, my plan is to communicate through Festus, who would tell Leo, who would tell the Council, but now my only source of communication is unable to communicate. Stupid kidnappers and their stupid dream-crushing effects.

Anyway, back in reality, Clarisse is opening Festus from his suitcase form, and everyone else comes out the front door. Good. The mortals were most likely flipping out still over the hurricane and thunderstorm Percy and Jason made. Hey, dragons can bend to over to see stuff too, ya know! Everyone jumps on my back and we take off, spiraling above the city and back to camp to pick up Nico. Jason says Nico is gonna be a vital part of this mission.

Nico

Why does everything have to be so _sudden_? I had just got back from visiting my dad when Festus and Peleus swooped in and Percy started yelling at me to get on and Annabeth shrieked,"It's a matter of life and death!" Like I didn't know enough about that already. Two pegasi came charging toward us as I hopped on Peleus and the two dragons joined wings, with the pegasi huddling underneath. I concentrated, and the beasts charged toward the trees, which were rife with shadows. I poured my energy into our transportation, and we dissolved into the darkness just before we crashed into the trees. Suddenly, we were standing on a sidewalk in front of Central park, right where Javier had said he was.(The group told me what he had said before we left, so no, I don't have creepy telepathic powers-not that I didn't have creepy powers already.)

Annabeth let out a piercing whistle and two smoky headlights came wheeling out of the sky, then joined together to form a NYC cab. I pulled out a backpack with the front pocket filled with drachmas. The pocket was almost as big as the back one, and the back one was huge.

We all got inside and the cab took off, the dragons and pegasi speeding along beside us. Jason and Piper looked like they were going to be sick, but Percy and Clarisse were grinning like insane jack-o-lanterns. Annabeth was trying to say something, but I couldn't understand her, or hear for that matter. Nothing was hearable over Percy and Clarisse's whoops, Piper and Jason's pleas to slow down, the roar of the engine, the rush of the blood in my ears, or the dragons. Gods, those dragons were so loud, I was shocked that there was no attention paid to them whatsoever. If I were a mortal and I saw that, every police and military unit in the tri-state area would be chasing us before we even got out of Chelsea. That would be saying a lot, since the pizza place was there.

Anyway, Annabeth was writing something on a piece of scrap paper and passed it to me. The note said: _The three sisters are scared of children of Hades. Also, if you can get their eye, you'll have some more leverage. Get some info. Just show them that shadow trick you did at the pavilion._ I glanced back at Annabeth and nodded. Let the games begin.


	6. Danger

**Geez.. who would have thought the last two months of school would be the busiest? Here's the new chapter. R&amp;R!**

_Ch.5: Danger_

Leo

My head pounded as I tried to sit up, failing and falling back down. I struggled to open my eyes and get a glimpse of my surroundings. I shivered. Wherever I was, it was really cold. I finally forced my eyes open and tried to sit up, but I found I was chained to the wall, both my hands and feet. My clothes were in tatters, but they were only my PJs. Where in the world was I, and why was I here? Then all the memories came flooding back. The nightmare, my walk, the light, the person. I knew I had recognized the person, but now I couldn't remember who it was.

I took in my surroundings. I was in a small room, lit by a single flickering lightbulb. The walls were bare, and there was a huge stone slab fitted into one wall. I jumped as suddenly the door began to slide open with a horrible grinding noise. When the screeching and shrieking of the door finally stopped, I let out a sigh of relief, and I was horrified to hear my breath rasping I my chest, and suddenly I couldn't breathe. Then a clicking sounded from outside my room, the sound of crutches. A figure appeared in the doorway, so hunched and twisted he barely passed for human. The figure's face was shrouded in shadow, but he looked up, and I could see it. The person was male. But his face was so hideously scarred that he barely looked human.

His eyes burned into mine, and with a jolt I recognized him. The person standing in front of me was the half-blood I resented most. I had hoped to never see him again. My voice dripped with venom as I spat,"You shouldn't be alive." Suddenly the red hot pain I had felt when I was captured bored into my skull, and I got out one last word before I blacked out. "Octavian."

Piper

My nightmares were horrible that night.

I stood on the edge of a cliff, the wind blowing in my face. Leo stood about 30 feet away, an expression a mix of shock and hatred obvious on his face. I felt an icy wind blow behind me. Leo looked up, and his face suddenly froze with fear and contempt. I glanced back, and my fists balled; I knew exactly who it was. Khione, the goddess of ice and snow, had a personality that went with her power. She was bent on destroying Leo because of his power over fire.

Her dark eyes glittered with malice, and she unleashed a storm of frozen shards on Leo. He tried to use his fire, but Khione pressed harder and put it out. Her pressure pushed him closer to the cliff. I tried to cry out, but my voice was useless. The storm winds screeched around him, avoiding the figure standing in front of him. The person dashed to take cover behind a large rock. Khione released a furious blizzard, pushing Leo over the edge. I wailed, and this time my voice and body worked. I dashed to the edge, but it was too late. The snap of Leo's broken body echoed off the cliffs, his shriek could be heard for miles.

I bolted upright in bed, forgetting where I was until I looked around. The hotel room was crowded; most demigods were sleeping on the floor. I checked my watch. 6:30, not time to get up yet. As far as I could tell, no one was up yet anyway, but then I heard a soft sigh. I looked over to the other bed. Jason was facing me, and Percy was asleep on his other side. "Finally, someone's awake. I was beginning to think morning would never come. Did you have a nightmare?" he asked. I nodded. He sighed again. "I did too. But I don't want to talk about it. Why don't you go first?" I groaned inwardly. I really didn't want to talk about it, but I would have to describe it to the others anyway. Might as well get some practice.

"Well, I was standing on the ed-" That's as far as I got before Percy cried out, thrashing in his sleep. He shot up, his eyes wide open and filled with terror. He was breathing hard. He moaned and shuddered. Annabeth, whom I didn't know was even awake, slipped out of her sleeping bag and picked her way over to a shivering Percy. Some of the fear dissolved from his face at the sight of her, but he was still obviously shaken. Annabeth took his hand and led him to the room door. They shut the door softly, but it still roused Nico, who rubbed sleep from his eyes and mumbled,"Is it time to get up?" I checked my watch again, and it said 6:55. Now we could start gathering up our stuff to leave.

I nodded to Nico, and Jason and I got out of bed and began picking our way through the sleeping bags, rousing the sleeping demigods. I woke Frank first. We had run into him and Hazel in Albany, and when they heard what we were doing, they refused to stay behind. So Percy had whistled for his pegasus Blackjack and another named Pork Pie. We were currently at a hotel in Montpelier, Vermont.

Frank groaned as I shook his shoulder." What…" he muttered, and I slapped his face. He shot bolt upright and cried,"Gimme the pancakes and no one gets hurt!" Hazel jolted awake and glared at him. "Frank, you and your pancakes will be the death of me!" she hissed. I cheerfully said," Well, on the bright side, you woke everyone up, so now that's done. Get up and get ready. Let's move out!"

Everyone rushed around, collecting their stuff, and in the confusion, I didn't notice that Annabeth and Percy were still in the hallway. Once everyone had their things, I threw open the door to leave and was met with a shocking sight: Percy lying on the ground, unconscious, and Annabeth fighting bravely despite being surrounded by 6 or 7 _dracaenae. _Her bronze knife was in her hand and she was clearly desperate, but when she saw us her eyes lit up and she fought with renewed strength.

While everyone else rushed to help Annabeth, I dashed over to Percy and checked his wounds. He had a large gash in his side, but his cut hadn't been caused by Celestial Bronze, only steel, as the monsters' spears were made of it. I pulled some nectar out of my backpack and drizzled it on the wound, then did the same with my canteen of water. The combined effect of both liquids healed the gash to where Percy only had a scar on his left side. By then all of the _dracaenae _had been vaporized, and Annabeth dashed over to help me carry Percy. We shot downstairs and out of the hotel doors, where the dragons and 2 pegasus had been waiting for us. We leaped onto our rides and took off, hearts pounding and breathing hard.

Percy had woken up by then, so once we were safely soaring away from Montpelier, Annabeth decided to tell us what had happened. According to her (with Percy interrupting sometimes to add something she forgot), she had taken Percy into the hallway to calm him down. He told her he had a bad dream, and had just finished explaining when the door across from our room and out came about 15 _dracaenae. _Percy and Annabeth had only vaporized some of the monsters and were just adjusting to their shock when one of the snake women shot forward and sliced a gash in Percy's side. "Then they surrounded me and that's when you guys came in," Annabeth finished.

"We were lucky no one else heard us and came out into the hallway," remarked Hazel.I nodded and added,"By the way, Percy, you weren't the only one that had a dream. Jason and I did too." I described my dream, and the whole time Jason's eyes kept getting wider, and Calypso's face paler. When I finished, everyone looked absolutely horrified. Jason whispered,"That's the exact same dream I had."Annabeth closed her eyes, then snapped them back open. "Wait, then shouldn't we be watching out for-" Suddenly, the dragons roared and flipped over, trying to turn around, the 2 pegasus following as a biting blizzard came out of nowhere. "KHIONE!"


	7. Flight

It's here! I've been waiting for this all year! SUMMER! Plus, I have my laptop now, so be expecting updates every couple weeks( I have camps). I think this calls for a little celebration! NEW CHAPTER! R&amp;R!

Ch.6: Flight

Festus

I roar and beat my wings as hard as I can as I try to escape the biting blizzard that comes out of nowhere. I remember what happened last time this happened: my circuits froze over and I crashed, resulting in Leo having to warm me up and fix me. Gaea showed up and tried to get him to turn, but of course he said no and threw a Porta-Potty at her.

Beside me, Peleus shrieks, and a chunk of ice dislodges from between his front claws. We have to dive! I wail against the howling wind. I can hardly see a thing, even with my enhanced mechanical vision. In response to my panicked statement, Peleus tucks in his wings and plummets. I imitate him, the pegasus following and the riders screaming and holding on for dear life as we escape the life-threatening storm.

Percy

As we tried to get away from the blizzard, I kept hearing Jason screaming,"Leave us alone, Khione!" and "Where's Leo? You'll never get away with this!" He was really obsessed with screaming his head off at Khione, and I think he kinda enjoyed it, too. "If we don't find Leo, we're gonna need to send him to a psychology ward!" I yelled to Piper. Even in the heat of the moment-or I guess maybe the cold-she still produced a small smile as she nodded.

I glanced behind us at Annabeth, who was riding on Blackjack. She had a look of fierce determination on her face and gray eyes crackled with… was that fear? I looked behind her, and with a jolt, saw that the storm was following us.

Peleus, with Hazel, Nico and Clarisse on his back, followed Festus' every move as we maneuvered through the sky. Nico almost fell off twice, saved only by Clarisse snatching him by his shirt. By the third time, I could tell she was getting annoyed. The fourth time, she started yelling at him so he got mad and they started arguing, and then Nico nearly fell off again. (Annabeth told me this-Blackjack was right next to them.)

Calypso was on the other pegasus, Pork Pie, and she had been silent ever since we had left the Montpelier hotel. Now I could see she was talking to Pork Pie, who was freaking out. Her words were clearly soothing him, but she just looked more stressed. Even distraught, she was still as beautiful as she had been on Ogygia. I knew how Leo felt about her, but I loved Annabeth now. What in the name of Zeus?! Why was I thinking about that now?

All this was going on as Khione's blizzard chased us. For all I knew, she could be in the middle of it. Or maybe she was somewhere nearby, watching in amusement as we dashed away from a cloud of snow. What the heck, she could be on Olympus! Ack, lost in thought again!

Festus went for an up-and-over in an attempt to flip over the blizzard get behind it and direct the others away. To my surprise and delight, it worked! We were now behind the storm. Now our only problem was communication. How could we tell everyone else how to get away without giving ourselves away?

Hazel

Peleus rumbled in confusion when Festus disappeared, but I knew what he did. I figured he had flipped up and over the blizzard so he was behind it. Percy would probably want us to do the same. My hands shook as I navigated Peleus through the sky. It was taking nearly all my concentration to keep the minerals in the earth buried. Wait-that's it!

I let go of my will, and the minerals burst out of the earth in fountains of gleaming colors. I directed the minerals behind the blizzard, then, in sheer force of will, shot them into the center of the blizzard. They only just broke through the barrier of ice, and the blizzard broke apart. something that had been in the midst of the storm tumbled out and plummeted toward the ground, but made a cloud and caught itself.

Now that it was still, we could see the figure more clearly. It had a human shape, lithe and lean, with long legs and arms. The person had pale, almost white skin, short brown/black hair, and large dark eyes. It spoke with the voice of a twelve-year-old boy, saying,"Come on! It took me an hour to make a storm that big!"

I stared at him. "You made that?" "Yep," he replied proudly. "I've never made a blizzard that huge. Mom is gonna be so proud!" His words filled me with dread. I cautiously asked,"Who's your mom?" An incredulous look appeared on his face. "Wow, you're supposed to be the demigods who saved the world? Obviously he got that wrong." Percy looked down at him sharply. "'He' who?" The kid rolled his eyes. "Leo Valdez, duh. My mom is Khione. I've been sent here to make sure you don't get to him."

Pork Pie

'Kay, can someone yank my wings? No way does Khione have a kid! 10 words- how how how how how how how how how how? What in the name of Pegasus is goin' on here? Has the world gone wacko? Answer: yes.

The kid would not stop glaring at us. I mean, one second he's all braggin' 'bout how he can make a giant cloud of snow and ice(big whoop, I say), next he's tellin' us he's gonna kill us! Betcha he'll be rollin' on his back laughing like an idiot if we get frozen by his blizzard. Which ain't gonna happen. No way. Not on this horse's watch.

Blackjack nickered next to me. Come on, let's get our buck on! Nothing's gonna happen to our friends. Whaddya say? I whinny in response. I say let's kick some tail.

Alrighty, last update 'till week 2 of July. Sorry, friends. I got a lot of camps going on, plus I'll be on vacation. We'll be doin' stuff the first week, but I'll have time to write after that. HAPPY SUMMER!


	8. Help

**Hi! Here's your update, as promised! Please review!**

_Ch.7_

Frank

I stared in shock at the child in front of me. Leo had told me about Khione, and judging from his story, she wasn't someone I ever wanted to meet. Leo had said she was a minor goddess, and I hadn't ever thought she had kids.

I stumbled back along Festus's slippery metal back as Clarisse growled,"What's your name, punk?" The kid glared at her before answering,"My name is Hiver. That's French for winter," he added proudly. "Anyway, Mom sent me here so you wouldn't get any further. Failure is not an option. Good day!"

Hiver flicked his wrist in the general direction of Peleus and the dragon was instantly frozen in midflight. He plummeted toward the ground and the riders, who were only frozen from the waist down, screamed at us to help. My heart jolted as I saw Hazel's large golden eyes, usually so bright and intelligent, gleaming with fear. The pegasi dove down towards the frozen Peleus and his rider, but with a flick of his fingers, Hiver frosted them over, sending the screaming girls hurtling straight for the ground.

The others taken care of, Hiver turned back to Festus and the remaining demigods, myself included. He had a mischievous grin on his face, almost like Leo's, but the look in his eyes was as cold as his mother's. "I will ice your dragon and the girl, but I want Frank Zhang and Percy Jackson alive. Wait scratch that- Zethes asked me for Piper McLean alive. But Jason Grace, my mother wants you as a statue for her collection."

I glanced down at the icy demigods below us, and I panicked upon seeing they were nearing the ground quickly. Piper had noticed this too, and was talking rapidly, her charmspeak confusing the son of Khione. He seemed to be wavering, and just when I thought Piper had won him over, he glared at her and a layer of frost covered her and froze her mid-sentence. "I don't know why I don't just ice her completely," Hiver grumbled. He flicked his wrists, and Percy was glazed with a light frost, while Jason was frozen over. He turned and glared at me."Now Frank Zhang, it is your turn." Hiver snapped his fingers, and a layer of frost zipped toward me, but just as it made contact with my outstretched hand, a hot light flared next to me, melting the frost instantly, and a bright, misshapen figure emerged from the glow. Hephaestus turned to me and winked. "Miss me?"

Hephaestus

I had been watching the quest to find my son with the utmost concern, and I was happy that they had made it this far, but when Khione sent her only child to defend against some of the most powerful demigods in history, it really showed how little she cared about anything. I hadn't thought Hiver would freeze half of the heroes and frost the rest. I had to step in as he was about to frost Frank Zhang. I melted the frost that was about to hit Frank and winked at him. "Miss me?" I teased. The relief on the kid's face was evidence enough, and he replied,"Yes, Lord Vulcan." "Hephaestus," I corrected. "Yes, Lord Hephaestus, but what of the others?" I glanced down and saw what he meant. With a snap of my fingers, the frozen substances melted off everyone and Peleus was able to pull up just before hitting the ground, the pegasi following suit. Then I turned to Festus and unfroze his riders.

"There, that's taken care of," I said with satisfaction. Festus creaked his appreciation. Such a beauty, that dragon. I'm glad Leo had the guts and skills to fix him. Speaking of Leo….

I turned to Hiver, who was cowering inside a cloud of snow. A flick of the wrist and his snowcloud became a raincloud. He screamed and cursed at me. "I am a child of the daughter of the North Wind! The South Wind has the rainstorms. TURN MY CLOUD BACK RIGHT NOW!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you, a child of a lesser goddess, just try to tell me what to do?" Hiver turned red with rage. "My mother is not a LESSER GODDESS! She is the one who keeps the mortals from destroying the atmosphere with their global warming," he sneered. I rolled my eyes. Puny mortals. Always thinking they know everything.

Frank tapped my shoulder. "Lord Hephaestus, forgive me, but may I suggest you just banish him to the South? We need help with our quest." "Yes, yes, I must get this over with." I spoke an ancient incantation, and a fiery funnell whisked Hiver a bit higher, but just as the trap prepared to leave, an icy wind swept over us, and the tornado was frozen. It exploded in a flurry of ice shards, and I floated over to check it. Hiver was gone, and all that remained was a perfect sphere of smooth, glassy ice.

Festus squeaked in frustration. " I know, old boy," I sighed. "But now that the immediate threat has been dealt with, we can focus on the quest. Oh, look, here's your friends." Peleus and the pegasi had made it back to 20,000 feet and pulled up beside Festus. The demigods were shivering, their teeth chattering. "Perfect, now we can get down to business. If you don't listen to what I am about to tell you, you have no chance of succeeding on this quest."

The demigods listened intently as I explained about a magical artifact I had created a few hundred years ago, in case of a run-in with Khione or Boreas, and any other winter immortals. "It's called The Freeze Blaster. I know, I know, it's an odd name, but it does the trick. If you can find it, it will have a few fire-proof coats, about ten, maybe, in an orange cloth bag hanging off the side. Those will be helpful. It's located in Kirtland, Ohio. I hid it there because the gods don't go there a lot. The Freeze Blaster might be your only chance to save Leo."

Khione

I growled as I watched that... that... that hot-headed fire god interfered with Hiver's plan. Of course my idiot son had to waste time bragging. But someone had to save his _désolé_ hide. So as soon as he was about to be banished to the south, I sent my winds to bring him back. Ugh, I am not proud to have a son who is such a _mannequin._

I fetched him and brought him to Octavian. In the old days I would have called for Apollo, but since the war with Gaea, when I joined the side I was sure would win, the gods have cast me out. Deep down, I admit I would like to visit Olympus again, and make amends with the gods, but I am far too proud. My past actions have not helped matters, either.

I approached the room Octavian was staying in, dragging my son along behind me and ignoring his complaints and excuses. As we came up to the former augur's room, I turned and cut Hiver off with an icy hiss,"You idiot, just shut your _vain_ mouth, or I will freeze you into a statue and remove your head!" He gulped and nodded meekly, and I turned my attention to the door in front of me. I glared at Hiver and growled,"Stay here, or I will make good on that ice statue threat." He averted his eyes and gave a small nod, and I couldn't help but notice the sad, wistful look in his large coffee brown eyes. I felt a pang of guilt, but quickly pushed it away, down into that tiny cavern where my yearning, sad feelings were. I had no time to waste on petty feelings.

I opened the door and stormed in. The twisted figure of Octavian lay in his bed, but his wild blue eyes still stared at me calmly, intelligence and malice glittering in the icy depths. I liked this mortal. He was like me- bitter and angry, bent on revenge on those who betrayed us and cast us out. I had rescued him from death when he was launched from the onager. I let loose an icy wind that put out the fire that was consuming him, then took him back to Quebec. I used nectar and ambrosia and magic to heal him the best I could. My father, Boreas, felt sympathetic towards the wounded Octavian and gave him the energy to heal. The spell was still working on him, as he was so badly wounded that it would still take him over a year and a half to heal. But Octavian refused to wait that long, and he was only nine months into the spell. He had shown himself to be as intelligent as before, though, and while he was still healing, I had agreed to help him until he was healed. Even as violent as I knew he was, his plan had still caught me off guard with its ruthlessness.

I approached his bedside and looked at his burned, twisted face. "Octavian, the tortures are ready to begin. I will leave to collect the artifact Hephaestus mentioned in one hour. When I return, I will begin the interrogation." Octavian nodded, and answered in a low, raspy voice,"Good. What news does your son bring back?" I grimaced. "The dolt got Hephaestus involved and now the heroes have the help of the Olympians. He only managed to slow them down. I believe if we can remove the, ah, Freeze Blaster, then we may be able to stop them. Hephaestus said it might very well be the last hope to save Leo. If we can retrieve it first, we may be able to get rid of Leo Valdez forever, as well as those pesky heroes. It's as those mortals call it.. a win-win." Octavian's blue eyes gleamed. "After they are dead, we can proceed with the plan. We can storm Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, and use that mind control spell Hecate gave you. With the tools of the Olympians behind us, we can march on Olympus and overtake it. We will rule the world side by side!"

**Whew! That was a doozy! Went for a loop there. Review and tell me what you think! Sorry I didn't put it in on Friday, but the italics are French words, and don't worry, none of them are cuss words. Happy late 4th for those who are American!**


	9. Frozen

**Hello, faithful readers! Thank you so much for bearing with me, but unfortunately, it's only gonna get rougher from here. I have school starting soon and I have a ton of after school-stuff including clubs and lessons, as well as all of my basic subjects being Pre-AP. Unfortunately that means a whole lotta homework. I'm also going to update this only every other week, so the weeks in between I will update A Whole New World Of Death. So sorry for the inconvenience, and please forgive me if I miss a week! I will do my best to update as often as I can!**

**Thanks to thedauntlessamity for continued support! Cookies for you! (::)(::)(::)**

_CH.8: Frozen_

Annabeth

I groaned as Blackjack pulled up after defrosting. the wind whistled in my ears and the pressure shoved in on my ears as we ascended. We finally leveled out and I breathed a sigh of relief as I popped my ears. The god Hephaestus was levitating next to Festus and seemed to be explaining something important. "-your only chance to save Leo." :What's our only chance to save him?" I asked. Percy faced me and replied,"Lord Hephaestus created a device to battle the forces of frozen evil." Jason and Calypso stifled laughs, and Clarisse smirked. "Come on, punk, is this really the best time to be cracking jokes?" the daughter of Ares challenged. Percy rolled his eyes. "Sorry to interrupt your little jokefest, but can we get back to the quest?" I interrupted.

Hephaestus nodded in my direction. "Well said, young lady. Now, the Freeze Blaster will shoot heat- a plume of fire, to be specific- at whatever it is pointed at. The colder gods and goddesses despise heat and will escape at first sight of it." The god of fire drifted over to Festus and stroked his metal snout. "Now, get going. As I said, the relic is located in Kirtland, Ohio. Remember to put on the fireproof cloaks. I also engineered them to be mostly resistant to cold as well. When you arrive in Quebec, do everything in your power to get past Khione. Disable her, if possible. I'm not sure what kind of monsters she has working for her, but you can be sure they're under her complete control. You also need to know where Leo is. Find out as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded in agreement. As I did so, a glitter caught my eye. I glanced up and saw a perfect ball of gleaming ice hovering right next to me. Wondering what it did, I reached up and stretched out my fingers. Suddenly, I heard a shriek. "NO, DON'T TOUCH THAT!" screeched Hephaestus. But it was too late. My fingers brushed the frozen surface. In an instant, my body froze in place and my vision turned blue.

Jason

"NO!" wailed Percy. Festus squeaked in alarm as Percy lunged for Annabeth, but she touched the frozen sphere. Annabeth's skin crackled and froze as she instantly became an ice statue. The sphere let loose a flurry of ice shards and two struck Percy and Blackjack in the head and chest. Piper let loose a shriek and Percy jumped. He slid backwards, hands clutching his chest and head, bumping against Piper, who slid into me. Eyes scrunched closed in pain, the son of Poseidon groaned. His eyes snapped open, but they were no longer sea green. They were icy blue. He jumped onto Blackjack, whose normally jet black eyes glittered snow white, clutching Annabeth the statue and whispered into the pegasus's ear. Blackjack jetted off as the rest of us watched in horror.

"Well, don't just hover here, catch him!" cried Hephaestus. Those words snapped us out of our trance and the dragons and one remaining pegasus zoomed off after them.

I caught sight of Blackjack streaking up to the low gray clouds that hung a little bit above us.. "There!" I cried. "In the clouds!" We shot up and began to close the gap. Suddenly, Percy and Blackjack plummeted down in a dive. Blackjack's tail whistled out behind him, and I recoiled in shock as I caught a glance of a streak of white in the plume of midnight black. I squinted at his neck and went numb as a flash of snowy white appeared on his oil colored mane. Percy's head bobbed alongside his pegasus's neck, and my heart went to my shoes as I saw his wild black hair sliced down the middle with a stripe of ice white. I screamed,"Look at their hair! Some of it's white!" My friends' reactions were no less than despairing as they saw that I was right.

As Festus tucked into a dive to follow the two escapees, plus one ice statue, we broke through the clouds and found ourselves over a city. As we neared the ground, a passing sign told me we were in Rochester, New York. We still needed to go further southwest, but Percy and Blackjack turned north as that thought ran through my head. Hazel had noticed too, and yelled,"We need to get the Freeze Blaster! If Percy is still part of the quest, he'll come back to us!" We all hollered back in agreement, and turned our rides to the southwest.

**So, Percy and Blackjack have deserted the quest! Where do you think they're going? What are they going to do? How will the rest of the demigods cope without Annabeth and Percy? How will Annabeth return to normal? All will be revealed! Tell me what you think when you review!  
Did you catch the Frozen references? I tried to make it obvious!**


	10. Tracking

**Helloooo! Here's the next chapter!**

_Ch. 9_

Percy

My chest ached where it had been struck, but I ignored it as Blackjack shot north. Annabeth was getting heavy, so I adjusted her to a position that had her sitting on my pegasus's back, like she had been when she touched the ice ball. Yelling at Blackjack to fly faster, my thoughts drifted to the group I had been traveling with. I could barely remember their names, and I had no idea why I had been with them for so long. Perhaps as a spy? Mistress Khione was going to be pleased.

Two hours later, we arrived in Quebec. I knew I had never been here before, but Blackjack seemed to know where he was going. We wove through the city until we came to a large hotel shaped like a castle. Blackjack came down for a landing on a large balcony, where two very pale, very weird looking young men wit feathered purple wings. One was dressed in a hockey jersey and jeans, and the other looked like an angel from the eighties, with a disco shirt and powdery blue pants.

I greeted them,"Hello. Where can I find Lady Khione? I'm Percy. I'd like to help her however I can." The two young men glanced at each other. "Ah, Percy Jackson," the disco guy said. "We've been expecting you. I'm Zethes, and this is Callais. All of the Boreads call him Cal for short, for he can only speak two syllable words. Khione is not here now. Would you like to send an Iris message?" I nodded curtly. Zethes pulled out a small plastic fan thing, as well as a prism. As he pushed a tiny button near the blades of the fan, a gentle mist began to spray from a small nozzle. The Boread placed the prism in a ray of cold light, and a rainbow arched up into the mist.

I pulled a golden drachma from my pocket and tossed into the mist, where it disappeared. " Show me Khione, goddess of snow," I requested. The mist shimmered, and an image of the goddess rippled into view. "Ah, _bonjour_, Percy Jackson. I see my ice ball worked." I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean, my Lady?" She waved her hand. "Nothing, _mon serviteur. _You are contacting me for a task?" I nodded. "Excellent. I have the perfect task for you." I leaned forward, eager for her response. "You will be in for a long journey," she warned. I shook my head vigorously. "Whatever you need, my Lady." She smiled coldly."Excellent." She gave me my instructions. I waved my hand through the Iris-message and turned to Blackjack before realizing that Statue Annabeth was still on Blackjack's back. I pulled her off gently and set her down. I turned to the Boreads. "You had better take care of her," I warned. "Otherwise you will be in her place." The two winged men nodded. "She will be safe, _mon allié." _I took one last look at Annabeth, determined to come back for her. Despite having no recollection of the people I was with before, I knew Annabeth was important. I knew I was going to come back.

I turned to Blackjack and stroked the white stripe in his mane. "You heard the Mistress, buddy. We've got work to do."

Piper

After giving up on chasing Percy, we turned southeast. This felt like the time Annabeth and Percy had fallen into Tartarus. We had just lost a big part of the team. Three team members in two days. Even Clarisse seemed subdued. She and Nico had stopped squabbling, much to Hazel's great relief. I was worried out of my mind. Frank was fiddling with his jacket, and Jason was blinking back tears. I guess he thought it was his fault that Annabeth and Percy were gone.

"Hey. Look at me." Jason turned toward me and looked into my eyes. "It's going to be okay," I murmured. "We'll find them. We've done the impossible before. We'll get through this." Jason sighed. "Thanks, Pipes. It's just... what if Leo's not the same when he comes back? What if Khione scars him so badly he won't be Leo? What if... what if he doesn't want to be rescued?" He growled in frustration. I recoiled at his words. I hadn't thought of that. I was still sure of one thing, though. "Jason, Leo wants to be rescued," I said firmly. "He was kidnapped by his archenemy. He's being held against his will. Besides, even if he wanted to help them, which will _never, ever happen, _do you think Khione would ive him one little ounce of freedom?" Jason nodded. "You're right. We need to get him back. It's just going to be really, really hard." I clucked in disapproval. "Like I said, we've done the impossible before." My boyfriend chuckled. Now that I had risen his spirits, I had to focus on that task on hand.

We landed near a Subway, so we could eat. After we ate, we decided to try and find someone who could direct us to the Freeze Blaster. We wandered across the street to the library and went up the steps and through the doors. As we slid out of the sunshine and into the cool AC, I heard a wispy small voice whisper,"The relic you seek is just up the street, a holy place of a church, to unlock its full worth, the one you must ask is a ghost of the past..." I froze and looked around, but the only person close enough to whisper at all was Jason, and he was answering a question Frank had asked. "Did anyone hear that?" I demanded. Everyone gave me weird looks except Hazel, who nodded, her eyes wide. "Let's go outside," I suggested.

We sat down on the shade of a large oak, its large, gnarled branches spread wide. I repeated what I had heard in the library, and Frank was the first to react by jumping up and yelling, "Well, let's go! Uh, any ideas of where to go?" Jason and Nico shook their heads, but Hazel's eyes lit up. "I know! I saw a sign in front of a big building that said 'Holy House of the Lord: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That has to be it!" Clarisse grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

We ran up the street to the temple Hazel had described. Walking onto the well-kept property, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. I spotted a gardener who was tending some bushes. His tools were made of Celestial Bronze. I walked right up to and and asked, "Mister, can you help us find this relic of Hephaestus? It's called-" "-The Freeze Blaster? Yes, of course I can help you. It was put there in 1836. I was there!" It was then that I noticed his old fashioned suit, with the handkerchief thing sticking out the front, and his old fashioned boots. "Just find the bush shaped like a swan," the guy said. I could see it from here. "Thanks," I replied. "No problem," he grinned, and dissolved, leaving the shears on the ground where he'd been. We headed toward the bush, and when we got there, I saw a small bronze thing sticking out of the wing. I pulled it out, and suddenly, my friends and I were trapped in a glittering golden net. "What the heck is going on?!" Clarisse yelled, and a figure stepped out from behind a the bush. My heart stopped when I saw the evil grin on the person's face. "Miss me?" Percy Jackson asked darkly.

**Uh-oh! Percy's mission was to get the Freeze Blaster! How will the demigods get out of this one?**

**For those LDS readers, who can tell me who the gardener is? It's somebody famous in those parts...**

**Review?**


	11. Versus

**Holy cow, ten chapters! I can't believe it! Yes, I am alive. I'm SO sorry for not updating in over a month. I've been so busy with school and volleyball and band that this is literally the first real free time I've had since school started. So please give me a break and I will update whenever I can. I love writing and I can't bear that I haven't had time for Fanfiction in five weeks. I just haven't noticed any good reviews coming from anyone but thedauntlessamity (Thanks so much, by the way!) so please send me encouraging reviews and my fingers might go faster and I might have more time to update:)**

_CH. 10:_

Clarisse

I stared in disbelief as Percy calmly strutted over to the bush and removed the Freeze Blaster from a different part of the swan, right out of it's belly. I then realized that whatever Piper had pulled out was a trigger to a trap. I watched as Percy examined the relic. It was a medium-sized, clunky gun shaped thing. Coated in Celestial Bronze, it had a small tube of liquid where bullets would be loaded in a regular gun. A small bag hung off the sude, attached to a small loop. Percy twisted a knob on the side, and the Blaster clicked and whirred. A trigger mechanism popped out of the barrel. Percy smirked and pointed it at the swan bush. He pulled the trigger, and a blast of the liquid shot out and hit the swan. The liquid steamed and hissed as the swan began to disintegrate. I was five feet away, so of course I felt it. The liquid burned with heat and cold. I felt like I was boiling and freezing over at the same time.

Beside me, Piper shrieked,"Stop! Make it stop!" Percy's eyes glazed over a bit, but he shook his head, and his sea green irises blazed with anger instead. He pointed at the daughter of Aphrodite and hissed,"You, Piper McLean, will make a very nice ice statue. You will never again trick people into doing your bidding." He hefted the Blaster, aiming it at Piper, his finger beginning to pull back on the trigger.

In that instant, I furiously shoved against the net, not expecting anything to happen. But to my complete shock and delight, the golden rope gave way and everyone tumbled out onto the grass just as as another blast of liquid, white this time, coated the spot where Piper had just been standing. The grass that had been hit by it froze instantly. Percy growled with frustration and swung the barrel of the Blaster toward us. Thank the Fates, just as he was about to freeze us all and spend the rest of his life laughing at us as we lay in a frozen dog pile. someone tackled him from behind. I was giddy with relief when I realized Jason had been dumped behind Percy when I had broken the golden net. The kid might be too perfect, but at least he had good reflexes. I wrestled the Blaster from Percy's grip and pointed at him. I was about to pull the trigger when Piper yelled,"EVERYONE STOP!" We all froze where we were, including Percy. Piper's powerful voice resonated through my head. Once again, I couldn't help thinking about how much she was like Silena. It made my heart ache.

Piper started talking to Percy, using a long monologue about how much he would want to help us, and how bad Khione was, but apparently the goddess's snow magic protected him from charmspeak. Every time she said the words "Khione," "Snow," and "Ice," he shook his head and struggled against Jason and I until Piper finally said,"Percy, hold still! We're trying to help you and Annabeth escape from Khione and free Leo!" Percy stopped writhing and his eyes cleared. and I watched in amazement as the white stripes faded from his hair. He clutched his head and groaned in pain. Piper crouched down and whispered to him until he suddenly abruptly fell limp.

Concerned, Piper began to shake him, but when he didn't move, panic took hold. "Percy? Percy, wake up. Wake up!" I joined her, watching in horror as Blackjack emerged from some nearby bushes, white stripes gone, and began nudging his master. Percy didn't move. Jason sprang up and took out his spear. The clouds above us turned dark gray and a bolt of white-hot lightning bounced off the tip of the spear, landing squarely on Percy's body. The son of Poseidon jerked and sat up, looking around wildly. He was shivering, and his lips were tinged blue. He moaned,"What happened? The last thing I remember was talking to Hephaestus." Nico laughed in relief. I replied,"If you ever do that again, punk, I will send you to the Underworld myself." Hazel shot me a withering glare. "You went for Annabeth when she turned to ice. You were struck by a bolt of ice, which apparently made you loyal to Khione. You were about to shoot us with the Freeze Blaster," she explained. Percy's eyes widened. "Guys, I'm so sorry, I wasn't myself, I never would have-" He was interrupted by the sound of sobbing. We all looked down, and found that Frank was curled up, huge tears running down his cheeks. "What's wrong, Frank?" Hazel asked tenderly. The son of Mars looked up at her, his big brown eyes brimming with tears. "I was scared," He whispered. "I was so scared, Hazel. What if Percy had died?" Hazel knelt and gripped his shoulders firmly. "Frank, even f he had died, we would be okay. We have to focus on finding Leo." Frank nodded and wiped away his tears. "Sorry. Sorry. I was just overreacting," my Roman brother muttered. "It's okay, Frank. It happens to everyone," I said. My own tenderness surprised me, but Percy saved me before it got awkward.

"Well, What are we waiting for? Let's go find Leo!" Percy cried. Everyone cheered, and ran for the street. But before we could get onto the sidewalk, The sky darkened until it was as black as night in about 10 seconds. Terrified, everyone but me backed toward the lawn. An enormous figure appeared in front of me, a woman with a dress that looked like it was made of outer space and skin as black as ink. Her eyes were twin pinpricks of light. She held a whip made of stars. Behind me, Percy gasped in fear. The woman spoke with a powerful, resonating voice that could have carried throughout the entire universe. "I am Nyx, goddess of night. I have spent months searching for you, Percy Jackson. You will behold me. I am seeking worthiness to be featured in the Tartarus tour. I shall achieve that by destroying you."

**Sorry if this seems a little random, but I decided to add Nyx to the mix because I always thought she would find Percy and Annabeth to exact her revenge on them, and since Annabeth was frozen, I decided she would go for Percy. Plus, she's one of my favorite goddesses. (Athena's my favorite, followed by Nyx.) Anywho, I hope you enjoyed your weekend and this chapter! Sorry for any misspellings!**

**Review?**


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